


Coinelot

by Angel Grace (angel_grace01)



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Fluffy with a touch of angst, M/M, Modern Day, revealing feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-03
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-08-12 18:28:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7944793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angel_grace01/pseuds/Angel%20Grace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur stumbles across the Coinelot website and it leads to revelations.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coinelot

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tracionn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tracionn/gifts).



> Coinelot was the first Merthur convention EVER! It was held in Berlin on the weekend of the 14th-16th of October 2016 and was organised by an amazing couple of people. Fun was had by all (and yes, that includes yours truly). You still can find their website here (in case you want to see what the boys saw): https://coinelot.wordpress.com/

“Merlin? Come here.”

Merlin’s left eye twitched as he put aside his tablet and joined Arthur in front of the computer. 

When the Great Dragon announced Arthur’s return, he’d been ecstatic. Don’t get him wrong, he was still thrilled, but the reality of dealing with a medieval king in 21st century London was… challenging. Being born royalty just didn’t allow for the same behaviour in the present as in the Dark Ages. Modern conveniences that he’d grown used to over the centuries, took Arthur by surprise. Trying to explain indoor plumbing had been… okay. The concept of electricity had been harder. Personal hygiene was still a learning curve. 

Not that Merlin minded Arthur’s scent. At all. Strange the things you loose over time. It wasn’t until he’d grabbed Arthur in a bearhug and buried his nose in his hair, taking in the smell that screamed ‘Arthur’ to him, that he realised his dearest wish had finally been granted. 

And then there was the computer. Social media. Facebook. Internet memes. 

LOLCatz had been… okay, Arthur’s obsession with the cat memes had been downright adorable. Tinder had required a lengthy discussion about the different ways people interacted these days. And then there had been the internetporn: ‘Yeah thanks Merlin, I’m not actually helpless. I think I can figure this one out on my own.’ It’d gotten to a point where Merlin put his foot down and issued an ultimatum: either Arthur started wearing headphones, or he was cutting off the internet entirely. 

So understandably, when Arthur called from behind his computer, Merlin was weary. Reading over Arthur’s shoulder, he frowned. His first impression was… okay, actually. No naked bodies, no weird graphics, just a tasteful webpage.

“Coinelot,” Merlin read aloud, “Celebrate both sides of the coin. Coinelot is a new convention dedicated to the fated relationship of Merlin and Arthur Pendragon from the BBC television show. Meet fellow fans, share the love, unite Albion.” And on either side of the text… their faces! Well, not exactly. The slightly blurry images were them, if slightly off. As if someone had created them from very detailed descriptions, without ever actually seeing either man.

“Merlin, what the hell is this?” Arthur looked up at the man bending over his shoulder. “You told me that we’d been made into myths and legends over the centuries, but when I giggled our names, this came up.”

“It’s googled, not ‘giggled’.” Merlin corrected absentmindedly, frowning down at the screen. He actually had a fair idea what’d happened, but there was no way he was ever going to tell Arthur that.

“Merlin,” Arthur cried exasperated, “I don’t care if it’s giggled, googled or gaggled. Why are we on the internet? And there’s more, too.” With that, he clicked through to other sites, featuring pictures, stories, even videos. He finally reverted back to the Coinelot site. “And what do they mean a ‘fated relationship’? Because you were my servant? I thought they didn’t approve of that kind of thing in this age? Why dedicate a complete convention to it? And what about ‘share the love’…” His voice tapered off as he finally looked up directly into Merlin’s darkened blue eyes. “Merlin?” Arthur’s voice became very soft.

Turning away from both the computer and his king, Merlin strode to the window on the opposite side of the room. Within seconds, he heard a soft footfall behind him. 

“Merlin?” Arthur repeated himself, reaching for the magician’s back.

“Don’t.” Merlin’s hoarse voice sounded as he inwardly cursed himself. Nearly a millennium of keeping his second greatest secret and now a single look had wrecked it all.

“Merlin.” Arthur’s voice sounded from behind him. “You’ve been my guide in this crazy new world I’ve been thrown in. You’ve explained anything and everything, no matter how weird or embarrassing. Help me understand this.”

“What the hell is there to understand, you lughead?” Merlin whirled, suddenly furious, his eyes blazing. “I love you and you don’t love me. You can’t love me. And now you’ll think I’m an even bigger freak than when you found out I had magic.”

“I never thought you were a freak. Not then and not now.” Arthur frowned. “You’re my friend, Merlin. My friend and my guide. But… how…”

“How long?” Merlin sighed. “Feels like forever, but mostly somewhere around the time Guinevere came into our lives.” He looked down. “How much? To the point of distraction. To the point where even after three hundred years, whenever something awesome happened my first thought was to rush to you to share it.” He coloured. “How does it work between two men? Kinda similar to how it works between a man and a woman I guess, I don’t…”

Merlin’s miserable soliloquy was stopped short by the press of hesitant yet firm lips against his own. Arthur’s determined blue gaze bored into Merlin’s soul, before he succumbed to the inevitable and let his eyes slide closed.

There was no sense fighting this. Arthur would come to his senses soon enough, realise he was kissing a gangly, big-eared man instead a beautiful woman and recoil in horror. Until then, Merlin was determined to enjoy his one shot at his dreams.

Without realising, his hands crept under Arthur's tight white t-shirt, fingers splayed across that muscular back to pull them closer together. It wasn't until his hands, those traitorous appendages, drifted down of their own volition and gave that gorgeous royal arse a squeeze, that he realised they'd been kissing for ten minutes straight. And that Arthur didn't seem to be in any hurry to stop, if the moan he'd let out after Merlin's squeeze was any indication.

Reluctantly, Merlin tried to draw back from those tempting lips. It took him four tries before his body would comply. Even then, he could barely stomach the separation and rested his forehead against Arthur's.

Arthur, who looked absolutely transcended, not to mention debauched. His lips were red and puffy and a flush stained his cheekbones. When he finally opened his eyes, pupils blown so wide there was barely any blue left, it was all Merlin could do to refrain from swooping in again and abandoning all reason.

Swallowing thickly, Arthur opened his mouth twice, before finally whispering "Merlin..."

Merlin linked his hands behind Arthur's neck, needing the contact to anchor them both. "Arthur," he started, only to be at a loss as to how to proceed himself. Finally, closing his eyes, he ventured: "Where the hell did that come from?"

He felt Arthur shrug, then felt those calloused fingers touch his cheekbone. "You think you're the only one who..." the fingers started playing with the hair by Merlin's ear. "I'm not completely blind, you know. I may be a bit slow on the uptake when it comes to realising my manservant happens to be an incredibly powerful magic user, but for God's sake, Merlin, we've practically lived together for years. I tolerated things from you I never even let Guinevere get away with. I let you bully me and push me around and in case you haven't noticed, you were a pretty shit manservant all things considered."

"So why didn't you toss me out?" Merlin straightened up as far as his still linked hands would permit, his eyes now boring into Arthur's. "Why keep me around if I was so awful?"

"Because you weren't." Arthur sighed. "I loved the fact that you never cringed from me. Never gave in to the weight of the crown. I'm not... I know I can be demanding, I was brought up to expect to be catered to. And you did take care of me. Me. Not the king. Not the man who held power over your very existence. Just me. And you were funny and smart and.. and you smelled good."

That made Merlin shake his head in exasperation. "It's called bathing, you lughead. You should try it sometimes."

Arthur grinned. "And you never hesitated to call me names. And you're gorgeous."  
At that, Merlin frowned. "Don't lie."

"Seriously?" Arthur looked him in the eyes. "I could, and would, get lost in your eyes. I'd make you reach for things, just to watch your hands. And you're right, half of the time when you were talking I wasn't listening, I was staring at your lips. Whenever you'd walk in front of me, all I could see was... well, this." He grabbed two handfuls of Merlin's behind and squeezed.

"I never realised." Merlin's voice was soft.

"The times were different. We were different, weren't we." Arthur looked down, suddenly sad. "I had to be a king first, anything else second. I had to have an heir. And I did like Guinevere. Had I... had we... it would have been unfair towards both her and you." His eyes shot back up and burned into Merlin's, "I wasn't about to make you a dirty little secret. I was never going to do anything that might hurt our friendship. And you were my servant. If we'd... I never would have been certain you weren't forced into it."

Merlin snorted. "Yes, because I was so obedient and demure. Lughead." He pressed an affectionate kiss to the side of Arthur's mouth. "So. This. You and me. It's really happening?"

"I guess so." Arthur shrugged, then swooped back in, pressing their lips together.

\------------------

Much, much later they were on the couch together, limbs entwined. "I could get used to this," Merlin smirked, as he admired the hickey he'd left on Arthur's neck. There was something incredibly thrilling about seeing his mark on the proud man, Arthur bending his head to give him greater access.

"Hmmm," Arthur murmured, too sated and happy to bother forming words. His fingers trailed up and down Merlin's ear, over and over again. Yes, they were quite large, but also, he'd found out to his great delight, very sensitive. The sounds Merlin had made when he'd gently bitten his earlobe had been positively obscene. Arthur's hand stilled when he thought of something: "Say Merlin, that site I found?"

"About the Coinelot convention? What about it?"

"Think we could go?"

Merlin's eyes crinkled as he started smiling at the man he loved. "I think that can be arranged."


End file.
